


the steps to us

by woojik



Category: Wanna One
Genre: Angst, Fluff, M/M, Police officer! Minhyun, daniel is in love, they’re different but they match
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-19
Updated: 2018-08-19
Packaged: 2019-06-29 17:44:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,445
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15734316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/woojik/pseuds/woojik
Summary: day and night compliment each other the way we do





	the steps to us

**Author's Note:**

> okay note this is loosely based around the song how to love by cash cash, I say loosely because I just listened to it a lot while writing and used it as inspiration but it works really well with the story so maybe listen to it? it’s not needed though
> 
> second note, this is my first time writing nielhwang together so their dynamics might be different from how u imagine them, but it’s all fiction and i used this to take a break from the long chamniel fic I’m working on so I hope you can still enjoy it

* * *

“You’re too good for this world”

The temperature seems to drop a few degrees, or maybe it was minhyun’s mood, he hasn’t been that good at understanding the world around him or himself for months, maybe even years but he doesn’t dwell. If he did one feeling would lead to another and another would cause a new problem he had to bury under new cases. 

He’d sort through file after file, any case that arrived in the office looking for a solution, a way to keep himself busy. None of his files had gained a spec of dust, never did he overlooked them or cast them aside because they were too difficult to understand, not like the way he throws himself into a forgotten pile, neglected and complicated. 

The fondness in his voice is hard to miss when the look in his eyes is just as warm. Daniel always directs his smile and eagerness towards minhyun without hiding it "perhaps you could take me out one day, or do i have to end up with my name in the police records for you to pay attention to me?" 

“Please don’t do anything stupid” minhyun finds himself sighing, and standing up, he dusts any dirt off his pants as he got up from the police station steps, daniel followed in his actions. The younger pushes his hands deep inside his jacket pockets trying to avoid the harsh air, minhyun silently thanks the recent weather because if daniel were to offer him a hand, a new way to escape his daily life and run with him. 

He thinks he would grab hold and not look back over his shoulder. 

But he can’t and he’s not reckless enough to try so he does look back, and the police station doors are in view, the light escapes through the glass making it easier to see the unwavering patience and awe on daniel’s face. 

“I meant what i said, you really are too good for this world” daniel repeats; a cloud of cold air formed around him as he spoke.

For a second minhyun wonders what world daniel means, the comment is too vague, unclear and obscured. His eyes wander daniel’s still face trying to find a hint, the world he has created as a detective — dangerous, unpredictable and slightly feared or the world he has outside unforgiving, tedious and dull. 

He nods, “it’s getting late, you should go home” 

Daniel kicks his feet against the various sized rocks on the floor beneath them until one bounces along and lands between minhyun’s feet, before slowly lifting his head to look at the stretches of the clear sky above them, it was already dark maybe around 2 am. “You’re right, but that means you should be going home too, so let’s go?”

He looks over at daniel in disbelief, only to find daniel is already staring, waiting for an answer to the question he’s asked hundreds of times before. Minhyun closes the distance between them with a few steps, he places his hand gently on his cheek “i’m serious daniel, go home before something happens to you, don’t make me have sungwoon drive you back to your apartment again”

Instantly the smile on his face is dropped to scowl “you should just drive me back yourself and stay but fine, only because sungwoon is the devil whenever you aren’t around”

Minhyun softly laughs. 

They part ways like they do nearly every night, a hushed be safe from minhyun and a protest that he’d be fine if he was coming with him. But daniel still runs off alone anyway, disappearing around the corner as minhyun makes his trip back to his desk and the unanswer files sitting on it. 

* * *

 

The next night when minhyun goes outside for his break again he sees the hunched over back view of blonde hair and broad shoulders, next to him was a clear plastic bag full of things neither of them should be eating at 12am. 

“If you sit like that someone is going to think you’re scared and lost” minhyun jokes, watching amused as daniel jumps away from the sudden voice only to visible ease and slide right up to minhyuns body. He should feel uncomfortable at the sudden intrusion of his personal space but if anyone is allowed to easily worm their way into his guarded person, it would only be daniel.

“How can i be lost or scared?” daniel hands the bag to him, signalling him to open and look inside “i’ll just shout your name and you’ll find me” 

“God, daniel please don’t bet your life on just that” minhyun says slightly worried at how sure daniel sounded with the idea minhyun would just show up whenever he needed him, wherever he was, and he admits he would drop what he was doing and try but the younger doesn’t have to know that.

Humming as a reply daniel reaches back over and starts taking the various items of food and drinks he had in the bag out in front of them, starting to split them into what he brought for himself and what minhyun guesses is for him. 

“How is work?” minhyun asks, waiting patiently. 

“Fun, free” daniel stops and minhyun nods, he guesses working to create games in an office building as creative as daniel’s would be both fun and freeing, “but it’s still tiring to go back everyday” 

“Maybe if you didn’t spend half your night sat outside on a police stations steps drinking juice and eating convenience store food you wouldn't be so tired” minhyun points out gently flicking his finger in between daniels eyebrows when they knit together to throw a glare at him. 

“This is the only time i get to see you, so i’ll take shitty food, cold weather and hwang minhyun over a few extra hours of sleep” daniel muses “and you still come out here every night to meet me, if you didn’t show up i’d get the hint, eventually” 

“I guess i’d rather have shitty food, bad weather and kang daniel over work” minhyun smiles, over anything he thinks to himself; daniel blinks a few times, minhyun sees the twitch of his lips indicating he was going to speak but, for once daniel stops himself letting them settle in a comfortable silence. 

“Did you think about what i said? about taking me out or letting me take you out, both works for me” daniel questions after he finishes his food and downs half a bottle of water. 

“Yes” 

Daniel stays silent, waiting for minhyun to elaborate on what he means. But minhyun doesn’t know what he means, doesn’t have a clear enough answer for the younger boy because taking daniel out or letting him take him out of the routine they have now would mean alot more than just one trip or date. Minhyun knows, and he knows daniel knows that it would dig up feelings and changes to their dynamic if they saw each other outside this setting. 

That's why minhyun can see the suppressed desperation in daniel’s eyes, no matter how much he bites his tongue, his eyes are pooled deep with questions, want and something minhyun thinks could be love.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea” Minhyun starts and he can see the slight falter in the others smile, yet it doesn’t disappear. “right now, just not right now” 

Minhyun feels like he should be giving daniel a reason, explain to the other boy why he can’t bring himself to let their relationship grow from 2 hours a night on police station stairs to something both of them want. 

He can’t. But he feels pressured too. 

The pressure of explaining himself isn’t coming from daniel, who still sits as comfortable and open as before, as if minhyun didn’t reject him again. but more from himself, he’s been in the dark so long, protected by the night sky he thinks, he’s become afraid of the light. 

He's done this so many times he’s lost count, but daniel still waits — open, accepting and warm. “it’s okay, I understand” 

He watches as daniel abruptly pushes himself to stand up before turning around and offering minhyun a hand. He lets himself hesitate for a second before grabbing hold and letting the other boy freely pull him up and put distance between them again. 

“stop looking so serious, it’s really okay I’m not going to give up that easy so, just another time right?” daniel asks, eyes cast down eyeing the obnoxious gap in between them and minhyun thinks the younger shocks himself by asking with more vulnerability than he planned because he draws back into himself more. 

So much further that minhyun could no longer reach a hand out a grasp him if he wanted, and his heart drops because he wants to.

“I know you won’t, you’re kang daniel but I’m still sorry, i don’t know why you till try” minhyun mumbles, voice not coming out as loud as normal. 

“You’re worth it and something in you wants more as well” 

He watches silently as daniel gives him a short nod and grins as foolishly large as usual while telling him he’s going to head home before it gets too late. Only when minhyun sees daniel turn the corner out the police station does he realise that 1. this is the first time daniel has left without minhyun telling him and 2. after checking his phone he realises daniel didn’t even stay for half the time he usually does. 

Minhyun groans, and if the guilty feeling eating at his chest is any indication that 3. he might be a shitty person. 

 

* * *

 

The next day minhyun walks out the glass doors earlier than usual only to see no daniel. 

He waits, and waits he screwed his eyes shut, hoping for daniel to walk around the corner but he’s left waiting for the full time he’s allowed to have his usual break before sungwoon comes outside tapping his shoulder, gently telling him he has to come back soon. 

As he sits at his desk again he looks at the paperwork spread in front of him, taunting him. He drops his head onto his sore arms that rest on top of it all and lets his eyes close, for once, he thinks about how cold it was tonight. 

_The weather was the same as usual, he knows it, but the company wasn’t and the warmth wasn’t there._

 

* * *

 

It takes nearly a week for daniel to come running back to minhyun, 12 am and hair coloured a new colour “minhyun hyung, did you miss me?” he calls out louder than he should but minhyun doesn’t have the heart to tell him to be quiet, because his voice alone makes his heart speed up.

“Do you not have an inside voice?” minhyun questions taking his rightful seat next to the younger boy, trying to ignore the guilt weighing on his chest. 

Daniel looks over at him like he’s stupid or has two heads “but we’re outside so i can shout about missing you as loud as i want” he says, sarcasm thick and evident as if minhyun was in the wrong for calling him out. 

“Yeah, i missed you” minhyun ignores him and replies to his previous question “i was--” 

_Worried? Lonely? stupid?_

“bored without you” he continues, and daniel laughs hand dropping onto minhyuns knee. It doesn’t move even after he stops laughing and minhyun isn’t going to be the one to point it out, instead he gently rests his hand on top. 

Daniel blanks for a few seconds as he lets minhyun take his hand in his own but he doesn’t mention it either. 

“Do you like my new hair colour? I had to dye it black because my blonde was washing out” daniel explains flicking his hair from left to right. 

“It suits you, you look younger and cuter” minhyun admits without stopping to consider his words, as soon as the compliments leave his lips daniel faces goes red but his eyes look hazy and unreadable. 

“Someone asked me a question yesterday, they said where do you go at night?” daniel suddenly says making minhyun look away from the view and back towards him. “I said i meet someone and they asked me who they were to me?”

Minhyun notices the nerves in daniel’s voice but lets him continue, “i said i don’t know” 

“Why?” minhyun questions, confused as to why daniel has become so serious. 

“You still don’t see? Minhyun, what are we? friends doesn’t fit, we don’t fit there no matter how many times you write our names under that label” daniel says all in one breath and minhyun winces. 

He’s right. Minhyun knows it, he’s tried to push daniel into the friend box multiple times before because he could always run away from it when neither of them were brave enough to point out the flaws in their relationship, the lines it crossed tipping between friendship and something more. Minhyun was painfully aware of what was left unsaid each time daniel showed up, minhyun’s name on his lips and stars in his eyes. Each time minhyun rested his hand on his cheeks in silence or reached out to him. 

He knows he should have stopped vacantly pulling daniel along with little faith he could love the boy the way he wanted, and the way daniel was waiting for — he couldn’t, he was selfish over the irreplaceable treasure daniel was, too absorbed and endeared by daniel to push him away any further than where he could still reach him. 

They’re memories, stories, smiles and confessions were the only thing that pushed him to pick up the tangled mess of emotions and excuses minhyun built himself up on and wade through, he’d run if it meant getting to daniel quickier but it was too dark to see.

“I told you how I felt” minhyun finally speaks up, and he hears a sharp intake of air before an airy laugh breaks the tense atmosphere, the type that is filled with more pain than amusement. 

“no you haven’t, I have to play a guessing game every time I see you and I’m not a detective minhyun, I’m not like you” he pauses, remembering to breathe “I said I would wait and I will because you really are worth it minhyun, but I need a sign, do I have a chance?” 

Daniel is brave, a stupid kind of brave. He always was braver than minhyun that’s how they’d met. Daniel being dumb for jumping into an attack he could have lost his life in, a minute before minhyun showed up to drag him back and save his life. 

He was reckless, straightforward and brave — everything minhyun usually cowards in front of, lit him up with a touch. 

Minhyun slides himself across the step until his body hits daniel’s leaving him no space to escape, he slowly traces the marks daniel had on his face from the original attack all the way along his jaw. “if you were a detective no cases would be solved, yes, yes you have a chance daniel, you’re the only one I’ve met who does” 

Daniel squeezes his eyes shut, trying to hide his teary eyes as he leans into minhyun’s touch, “Shut up, that’s so cheesy” a sigh of relief escapes him, “it took you so long to say that” daniel opens his eyes, full of the desperation he’d been suppressing for minhyun’s sake and seeming with something minhyun knows now, is love.

Daniel’s skin burns as minhyun continues to map out his features, stopping at his lips he can’t help the happiness that grows inside his chest as daniel’s lips curve into a smile under his touch. 

His face must mirror daniel’s own, because daniel knocks his hand away and pulls him into a hug. 

He was braver than minhyun he remembers as the air is pushed out his lungs from how tight ahold the younger has on him, so minhyun thinks he’ll learn to live with it, he was brighter and warmer than him. So knows daniel won’t burn out even when it gets dark.

“this is nice, you’re so warm” daniel laughs, vibrations hitting his neck. 

Minhyun closes his arms around the younger boy, letting himself crash into his arms. _‘you’re so warm’_ he’s not heard that in years, he thinks, daniel, its thanks to you.

“mmmh” he hums into the daniel’s neck, letting them both stay like that, wrapped up in each other’s arms until minhyun’s alarm goes off telling him he needs to go back inside. 

They separate slowly, each of them wanting to see each other for longer. as minhyun starts his usual trip back inside the glass doors he hears daniel call out his name, “minhyun, can we ki-“

Daniel visible traps his bottom lip between his teeth “nevermind, don’t die of boredom while I’m not around” he laughs before running off, face blown red and ears burning. 

Kiss. minhyun muses, pouting in disappointment “daniel, it would have been nice” 

 

* * *

 

He’s been focused for an hour when seongwu slaps a hand on his desk “minhyun please go to the front of the station before your boyfriend ends up in jail” 

“Boyfriend?” minhyun raises an eyebrow at his distressed partner. 

“Waits outside for you nearly everyday? daniel, yeah daniel that’s him” seongwu almost wails as he points towards the front of the station, minhyun chuckles at how dramatic seongwu was being before rushing to see what the problem was, after all daniel had already left. 

When he walks through the doors to see sungwoon arguing with daniel, who honestly was teasing him more than having any malicious intent, “but sungwoon hyung, i just need to see minhyun for a few minutes, i’m sure you’re overworking him” he heard daniel whine. 

“This isn’t a bar you can’t just come and pick minhyun up whenever you feel like it” sungwoon argued back, minhyun silently nods at the good point but watches with a smile as daniel shakes his head at the same time.

“good because I would never be seen in the same bar as you”

He watches amused as neither of the boys notice his presence.

“Hey sungwoon we’ll just go outside for 5 minutes” minhyun calls out, getting tired of them throwing comments back and forth. He wraps his arm around daniel’s waist, pulling him outside before he could cause anymore distractions and really end up with his name in the police records.

He doesn’t let go even when they walk around the side of the building, he lets daniel lean his back against the wall while he stands in front. “why are you back? now you’re just asking for sungwoon to put you in handcuffs for the fun of it” 

“kinky” daniel mumbles, pulling minhyun closer to him by his jacket. “I came back because i should have kissed you before” daniel announces, his eyes bore into minhyun’s own before he starts to lean in and minhyun gladly meets him halfway, lips slightly parted and pulled into a soft smile as he feels daniel smile into the kiss. 

Daniel pulls minhyun flush against him making minhyun gasp for a second, he pulls away, hands still tight on the other boys waist “it took you 1 hour to come back and kiss me” he laughs, pecking daniel lightly on the lips a few more times. 

“I went all the way home and came back for you” daniel admits, cheeks going red out of embarrassment “i wouldn’t have been able to sleep if i didn’t see you again” 

“If you promise to not do anything stupid like this again we can kiss more” 

“i’ll try” daniel grins, pressing his forehead to minhyun’s “but don’t people say love makes you stupid” 

He brushes his lips over minhyun’s before leaning in again, minhyun pulls back to breathe after a while “about your questions, yes” 

“Huh?” daniel raises an eyebrow. “What are you talking about?” 

“The date, let me take you out tomorrow or you can take me out, both works for me” minhyun says copying the words daniel had said to him, dropping one hand from daniel’s waist to run it slowly through his hair instead “if you aren’t busy of course” 

“Hwang minhyun you’re gonna have so much fun tomorrow, you will love it” daniel almost jumps a little through his excitement, talking a mile a minute about where they should go together.

Yeah, minhyun thinks, and he can’t help the admiration he feels, i think i can learn how to love anything _if it’s with you._

* * *

**Author's Note:**

> blah blah blah I’ve come to love these two a lot idk why but they work well together plus they go on cute dates >>>>
> 
> anyway I hope whoever reads this enjoys I might write another chapter from daniel’s pov if ppl like this and any comments or kudos are appreciated hereee:DD


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